Identify Fake NFL Jerseys on EBay

If you're a sports fan, you most likely own at least one jersey of a player on your favorite team. However, before you go buy that "Authentic NFL Jersey" off eBay, make sure that what you're getting is actually authentic.

Here are a few tips for identifying fakes:

Price
If you're looking to buy an Authentic NFL jersey, in a store, look to pay about $250.00. However, on eBay, you can find so-called "Authentics" for $100, $90, $80 - I've seen as low as $20. Clearly, if it seems too good to be true, it is. These $100 jerseys aren't real, and by purchasing them, you are supporting counterfeiters. No one can afford to sell "New," "Authentic" jerseys for those amounts when the MSRP is $250. It just doesn't make sense.

Pictures
When looking at an eBay listing, if the seller only uses "stock" photos, or only a few photos, or very blurry, grainy, or otherwise poor quality, they have something to hide - most likely the shoddy quality of their jerseys. If they don't have multiple, clear, close-up pictures, be wary.

Stitching
If, when you receive or handle the jersey, the stitching is loose, the jersey is fake. Reebok wouldn't put out jerseys of low quality and then charge $250 for them, but Chinese counterfeiters would.

Weight
The weight of an actual authentic jersey is heavy. Often times, counterfeiters will use cheaper, thinner material, leaving the fakes to feel lighter, less "solid," and clearly of lesser quality.

Spelling Errors
Now, this may seem obvious. If you buy a Peyton Manning jersey and Manning is misspelled as "Minning," clearly there's problems. However, most counterfeits have spelling errors on the tags. On the bottom of the jersey, near the hem, is that tag that has the size, the NFL logo, the Reebok logo and other information on it. It should read:
"ENGINEERED TO THE EXACT SPECIFICATIONS OF THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE."

However, counterfeits have the word "SPECIFICATIONS" misspelled. On fakes it reads as "SPEDIFICATIONS" or "SPEOIFICATIONS."

Location
If, when looking at the listing, the item is located in Asia, the vast majority of the time, it is a counterfeit.

Quantity
If the seller has many jerseys listed, especially at at low prices, there's a good chance that they are all counterfeit, because, as earlier mentioned, no one could make money selling jerseys for that cheap unless they were fakes.

Remember, don't settle for Chinese counterfeits - buying them is directly supporting crime.